Jury deliberating on Cork rape case
A jury which has already convicted a Cork man of raping his two sisters some 30 years ago is still deliberating at the Central Criminal Court on outstanding charges.
The jury found him guilty last night following nine hours and 30 minutes deliberations on four charges - one each of rape and of indecent assault of each sister in Co Cork.
Mr Justice Paul Butler had earlier withdrawn four counts - one each of rape and of indecent assault in relation to both women - from the jury and directed "not guilty" verdicts be returned on them.
Mr Justice Paul Butler then sent the jury to a hotel for its second successive night after the foreman told him the members believed they should continue to try to reach verdicts on 22 remaining charges.
Mr Justice Butler had given the seven men and five women the option of going to the hotel and resuming deliberation today or of him discharging them in relation to these 22 counts.
The foreman told him after the jury retired for some minutes to discuss the matter that the members decided "that having come this far we should continue to try and reach decisions on the other charges".
The man had pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial to a total of 30 charges covering dates from 1971 to 1979.
He had denied six counts each of rape and indecent assault in relation to his eldest sister and nine each of rape and indecent assault in relation to her younger sister. It was day-six of the trial.
